ARTICLES

ON THE SIDE

Service With A Smile

Palladium has introduced a Smile Services department for guests who want to elevate their special moment and/or celebration with an extra special surprise.

Smile Services will organize surprises or special treats for guests during their stay. Scavenger hunt marriage proposals, a string of coded messages that lead to a birthday celebration or anniversary, the team has got your guests covered.

Smile Services departments are already up and running in the Palladium Hotels & Resorts in Punta Cana, the Mayan Riviera and the Riviera Nayarit, and will be opening soon in Jamaica.

Open Jaw

09Oct17

Introducing The Royal Suites By Palladium

Offer clients adult elegance with a personal flair

At Palladium Hotels & Resorts, ‘The Royal Suites’ brand is having its coming-out party.

Once an adults-only ‘resort within a resort’ enclave, The Royal Suites has evolved into TRS Hotels, a full-fledged brand offering an elevated experience which comes with its own descriptor – ‘Infinite Indulgence.’

“TRS Hotels means The Royal Suites is no longer a section of a hotel. It’s a separate experience, a stand-alone, all-inclusive luxury product,” says Sonia Casaubon, National Sales Director, Canada, for Palladium Hotel Group.

“As the adults-only market in the Caribbean and Mexico continues to grow and expand, Palladium Hotels & Resorts is differentiating itself by evolving its adults-only brand, targeting adults and couples looking for a romantic and personalized stay,” Casaubon adds.

TRS Yucatan

TRS Hotels properties available for this winter are TRS Yucatan near Mexico’s Akumal and TRS Turquesa, set in the massive Palladium resort complex in Punta Cana, D.R. As extensive renovations and improvements – including a TRS-signature beach club -- are completed, TRS Yucatán is closed until 17NOV. TRS Turquesa is in the process of building a beach club as well, with an opening date of 1DEC.

Next fall will see the debut of the first new-build TRS property, TRS Coral, part of a Palladium complex in Costa Mujeres north of Cancun. Looking ahead, Palladium has its sights set on Aruba, Los Cabos, Mexico and Cartagena de Indias, Colombia as future TRS locations.

A Vision Of ‘Infinite Indulgence’

“The vision for TRS Coral was to offer a product much higher in quality than The Royal Suites sections had in the past. To make the product consistent, we needed to bring the existing hotels to a higher level. That’s what we’ve done and it’s very exciting.”

Casaubon says TRS resorts will deliver the privacy and personalized service of smaller properties, but are located next to Grand Palladium resorts, so guests have unlimited access to those amenities as well.

Agent Education Is Job One

TRS Turquesa

But if they don’t want to leave their sanctuary, they won’t have to. The TRS brand takes the Palladium all-inclusive experience to a new level with features including butler service, 24-hour room service, premium drinks at all bars, more a la carte restaurants and room categories featuring options including private pools, swim-up suites and outdoor showers. As an example, The Royal Suites Yucatan will feature 4 a la carte restaurants when it reopens, where it only had one before.

A top priority for Casaubon is getting the word out to agents that ‘The Royal Suites’ brand has matured, developing a unique personality, a higher level of luxury and a fresh image.

With a whole lot of competition in the all-inclusive market, Palladium Hotel Group made the decision “to invest in quality,” Casaubon says, both at Grand Palladium and TRS.

The company has added nearly 1,000 new staff this year, and invested heavily in training both new and existing employees. Food and beverage quality has been enhanced and the resort group is making strides in technology too, now offering best, faster WiFi in all guestrooms and public areas and developing apps for each property that feature things like interactive maps and communication with resort staff.

TRS Coral

“You can really stand out when you can provide an amazing experience. That’s essential today, when word-of-mouth is such a huge factor,” Casaubon says. “Your clients who have stayed with us before will definitely notice the improvements we’ve made. You can feel it in every aspect of the operations. The price is not as low as it was, but the product is superb. Your clients will be very happy.”

For Canadian agents, TRS Yucatan and TRS Turquesa can now be booked on their own through SIREV under TRS. TRS Coral will join them there when bookings open.